Allied Waste cancels pick up in North Bend and Snoqualmie due to weather
February 24, 2011
Allied Waste has cancelled garbage and recycling collection Thursday for North Bend and Snoqualmie due to snow and ice. The inclement weather makes it difficult for the company’s trucks to maneuver on side streets, according to the company.
Several inches of snow fell in Snoqualmie Valley on Wednesday and Thursday. City work crews have been keeping arterials clear for drivers. The National Weather Service is forecasting another 1 to 2 inches of snow Thursday.
Low temperatures could cause problems for drivers. The low Thursday night is expected to be 15 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service. At that temperature, salt is less effective at breaking down ice on the road, said Dan Marcinko, Snoqualmie’s public works director.
School bond fails by slimmest margin
February 23, 2011
The bond to build a new middle school on Snoqualmie Ridge has failed.
The last count issued at 4:59 p.m. Feb. 22 left the bond at 59.99 percent, 0.01 percent away from the 60 percent required to pass.
“That’s just painful,” Snoqualmie Valley School Board President Dan Popp said.
The election was scheduled to be certified Feb. 23.
Kim van Ekstrom, an elections department spokeswoman, said prior to the last count on the last day before certification about 150 Snoqualmie Valley ballots still had not been counted.
These ballots either had missing signatures or its signature did not match the one on file.
The county contacted these voters, who had until Feb. 22 to fix the ballots.
Horses, humans recovering well from fire nearly 10 months later
February 23, 2011
It has been nearly 10 months since a fire broke out at the barn owned by Doug Madden and his wife, Kelly Bolen. The couple, who run a horse-riding business, lost two horses to the fire. Madden had to put one horse down himself, and the memory still haunts him.
But they are moving on with their lives — figuratively and literally.
Doug Madden combs the mane of Hunter, who was severely injured during a barn fire in May 2010. The horse has made a strong recovery, but memories of the fire still haunt Madden. By Dan Catchpole
Madden and Bolen relocated in mid-February from outside Snoqualmie to outside Issaquah. The horses that were injured in the fire are healing well, and the couple has two new horses. They also have continued with plans to expand their business, Equine Escapes. And they have a five-month-old son.
For all the good things that have come in the past year, there have been plenty of quiet, sad moments, Madden said as he groomed Hunter, one of the horses that was severely burned in the fire.
Last spring, Hunter’s right side was covered in scabs. Large patches of his fur were missing.
Today, there are few signs of his close brush with death.
North Bend mayor is cautiously optimistic in state of city
February 23, 2011
North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing painted a muted picture of 2011 dotted with bright spots in his State of the City address at City Council’s Feb. 15 meeting.
The Great Recession and sluggish recovery have forced the city to get used to a “new normal,” Hearing said.
With reduced revenues, North Bend passed an austere 2011 budget, which included cuts to programs and staff.
Ken Hearing
The city’s position is not likely to rebound quickly, he said. “Neither the council nor I have any delusions that our local economy will rebound in a single year.”
But there is hope for the future.
Handful of businesses drive increase in Snoqualmie’s 2010 sales taxes revenue
February 23, 2011
While reviewing last year’s revenues for Snoqualmie, the city’s finance officer, Rob Orton, found an interesting trend: money from sales tax were higher than expected.
Sales taxes brought in about $1,861,000 in 2010. That was about $260,000 more than in 2009.
“Sales taxes finished unusually (and unexpectedly) strong after falling behind in May-June of the year,” Orton wrote in a budget report.
But the increase depended on a handful of businesses, rather than a widespread increase in fortune.
Much of the boost came from a Maryland-based company. The company accounted for 20 percent of the boost in sales taxes from retail in 2010. The company had no prior history of activity in Snoqualmie.
In all, taxable retail sales were up 26 percent compared to 2009.
But this increase was largely due to streamlining sales tax distribution rather than robust local activity, Orton said.
Forest Service seeks suggestions for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
February 23, 2011
The U.S. Forest Service wants to hear your suggestions for projects to benefit the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
The Forest Service is seeking proposals for 2012. About $630,000 – $830,000 is expected to be available for projects.
The law requires that projects must be on, or benefit, national forest lands, such as enhancing forest ecosystems, restoring land health and water quality, or improving the maintenance of existing facilities. Fifty percent of the funds must be spent on road or watershed restoration.
“We encourage applications from anyone who is interested in enhancing public lands: other agencies, local governments, organizations and individuals,” said Rob Iwamoto, a forest supervisor, in a news release.
Recommendations are due by March 11. Applications are available on the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest’s website.
Snoqualmie Tribe member honored for food bank work
February 23, 2011
Snoqualmie Tribe leader Mary Anne Hinzman was honored in early February for her work with the tribe’s food bank. The Snoqualmie Tribal Council voted to rename the food bank the Hinzman Food Center.
Hinzman, a tribal council member, said the announcement came as a complete surprise. “It means everything to me.”
The food bank was started in Redmond by Hinzman in 1977. Since then it has also operated out of Fall City and its current location in Carnation.
While focused on serving the local American Indian population, the food bank is open to the all. The facility serves approximately 225 families per week and provides more than 4,000 meals each year to low income people in the Snoqualmie Valley.
Hinzman said she opened the food bank because she felt existing community food banks discriminated against minorities.
County hosts meeting about farm flood risk
February 23, 2011
Help is available for farmers interested in building and repairing farm pads — elevated land to store livestock, farm equipment and other essentials during a flood.
King County is hosting a meeting in Preston Feb. 28 to offer advice and technical help to rural landowners.
The likelihood of flooding is a fact of life for many farmers living and working on the rich bottomlands in King County river valleys.
The county has been working for several years to help reduce the impact of flooding by helping farmers build farm pads.
Landowners from flood-prone areas can learn more about farm pads at the meeting from 6-8 p.m. at the Preston Community Center, 8625 310th Ave. S.E.
County staffers plan to discuss technical assistance related to design, construction and permitting for farm pads. Landowners who built farm pads also plan to discuss the experience.
More information
Project Manager
Claire Dyckman:
- 206-296-1926
- claire.dyckman@kingcounty.gov
On the Web
- Go to King County’s website, www.kingcounty.gov, and search for “farm pads.”
North Bend waiting for development decision
February 23, 2011
North Bend is expecting a decision from a third-party official soon on a proposed housing development east of downtown. A public hearing about the development was held Feb. 10.
The 35-acre development would have 142 homes and be located by Cedar Falls Way and Maloney Grove Avenue.
Even if the third-party official, a hearing examiner, approves the project, it will still have to go through several permitting and review steps before construction could begin.
Snoqualmie Valley has its best days ahead
February 23, 2011
North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing’s message in his State of the City Address is one that resonates throughout Snoqualmie Valley.
The area has endured hard times in recent years, the future will continue to be tough, but better times are coming.
Like the rest of Washington, the Valley was hit hard by the Great Recession. Vacant storefronts litter the downtown areas in North Bend and Snoqualmie. Local merchants have to compete with savings offered by bigger — but less conveniently located — competitors. Housing development ground nearly to a halt and remains sluggish. Foreclosures have not subsided. They are, in fact, expected to rise in 2011 across the state.
Many residents have had to dig into savings. Businesses are operating on thin margins.
But the worst seems to be behind the Valley.
Good times will not come tomorrow. Economists predict a slow, prolonged recovery. But we can find comfort in knowing we have touched bottom and are on the way up.
Of course, “up” — once we get there — might not look the same as it did before the recession.
